From owner-freebsd-questions Wed May 20 18:39:44 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id SAA15068 for freebsd-questions-outgoing; Wed, 20 May 1998 18:39:44 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from lucy.bedford.net (lucy.bedford.net [206.99.145.54]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id SAA14900 for ; Wed, 20 May 1998 18:39:00 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from listread@lucy.bedford.net) Received: (from listread@localhost) by lucy.bedford.net (8.8.8/8.8.8) id VAA00620; Wed, 20 May 1998 21:37:21 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from listread) Message-Id: <199805210137.VAA00620@lucy.bedford.net> Subject: Re: Terminals...and FreeBSD In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19960320164935.00796470@in.mnsi.net> from Nathan Vidican at "Mar 20, 96 04:49:35 pm" To: nate@MNSi.Net (Nathan Vidican) Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 21:37:21 -0400 (EDT) Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Reply-to: djv@bedford.net From: CyberPeasant X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL38 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Nathan Vidican wrote: > Dear FreeBSD, > > I am looking to setup a network of Terminals, I'd like to use FreeBSD. I'd > like to setup something with enough graphics capability to run X-Windows, > (if possible). I am thinking of the Wyse WY-325ES, > (http://www.wyse.com/terminals/specs/325spec.html), the terminal is a > colour terminal, capable of running on Xenix, Unix, Multiuser-DOS, PICK, > and others that were not listed. What I'd like to know, is does it work > with FreeBSD...before I spend money on the machine. Apparently they do not > know, but assumed you would, (go figure eh?). Anyhow, if anyone who reads > this knows of a terminal system, (preferably fraphics capable, and also > preferably network-interface rather than serial), please send > corrospondance to nate@mnsi.net . Better yet, if anyone actually knows of a > system of terminals currently running somewhere with FreeBSD, could I get a > contact name? > Check the prices before committing. X-terminals are essentially diskless unix boxes. The WY-325 isn't an X-terminal, either. Setting it up for use on BSD is like setting up a VT320 or whatever serial terminal. X is radically different from any serial protocol. "Graphics" in a terminal spec means a lot of things. X-terminals describe themselves as "X-terminals". I'm not aware that X-terminals are still in production. They were a sort of stop-gap measure from the days of $250/MB memory and $10/MB disk drives, and $500 ethernet cards. (A new VT-220 serial terminal sold for $1500, X-terminals in the US$2-4000 range, IIRC). Again, compare the price against a generic low-end PC with a nice monitor. This PC hardware solution (often diskless) is cheaper than any X-terminal ever was. Configuration: Pentium I or so, "nice" graphics card, 17" monitor, TP ethernet with netbooting BIOS on the NIC, 32MB memory, no disk. (don't even need a disk /controller/, if the mobo BIOS is bright enough to let the NIC netboot). Actually, a high-end 486 with 16MB makes a pretty nice X-terminal -- remember, all it has to do is draw the screen, read the keyboard and rodent, and talk to the ethernet. Spend your money on the monitor. A central file server (big unix machine) then NFS-exports the entire filesystem to the diskless PC acting as an X-terminal. "The entire filesystem" is pretty minimal, BTW. Nearly everything (window manager, apps, etc) run on the central server.) Reading: man bootpd man xdm The isc-dhcp and isc-dhcp2 ports/packages cover the DHCP protocol, a new and improved method of netbooting that replaces/supplements the stuff in bootpd. See the docs in those ports for more info; I don't netboot, so don't have them installed. Dave -- Unix System 7: an improvement on all versions, previous and subsequent. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message